- Prince Philip, 96, the husband and consort of the Queen, will today undergo a hip operation at King Edward VII Hospital in London.
- The Duke of Edinburgh is the grandfather of Prince Harry, 33, whose royal wedding to Meghan Markle, 36, is just over six weeks away.
- But will Prince Philip, who was yesterday admitted to hospital for a hip operation, be well enough to attend on the day of the wedding?
- A Palace has given a crucial update about Prince Philip’s operation today, saying it was a “pre-planned procedure” rather than emergency.
LATEST UPDATE: Wednesday 4 April 2018, 8:15am
It has been said the palace is “relaxed” on the day of Prince Philip’s hip operation, despite the Duke of Edinburgh’s age.
“The Palace is relaxed with us this morning. They said it’s not an emergency procedure, it’s pre-planned.”, reporter Jonathan Swain said on Good Morning Britain.
Wednesday 4 April 2018, 7:13am
There are certain conditions upon which the Duke of Edinburgh will be able to attend the royal wedding, it has been said.
The Queen’s consort and husband has sought medical advice for a hip problem, after it got it the way of one of his favourite pursuits: carriage driving. He is currently being treated in King Edward VII Hospital in London.
“Confronted by the possibility that an untreated hip complaint could prevent him participating in his beloved sport of carriage driving, he has accepted medical advice,” Richard Kay wrote on MailOnline.
However, it is said that if Prince Philip is in a condition to attend the Windsor Horse show on May 9, he will most likely be fit to attend the wedding 10 days later.
“It means, hopefully, he will be fit enough not just to take part in the Royal Windsor Horse show on May 9, but, crucially, to be an active participant at Prince Harry’s wedding ten days later,” said Kay.
It has also been said the Duke will require “convalescence” in order to get better and be fit to attend the wedding next month.
Prince Philip is said to be a fan of Meghan, and it is known he shares a close family bond with his grandson Prince Harry.
A friend of the Duke of Edinburgh told Express.co.uk: For him it is a simple choice.
“If without the procedure it means he cannot continue carriage-driving then it is worth undergoing the operation.
“He will only stop when he no longer enjoys it, not because he can’t do it. “Above all he wants to remain active.”
As for the royal wedding, the insider source added: “With convalescence he hopes to be there.”
Last week, a royal insider gave an update on Prince Philip’s health, in an update exclusive to Express.co.uk.
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, retired from public duty in May last year, and at the time there was no suggestion it was for medical reasons.
Now it has been revealed that few among the palace staff anticipated the announcement, because the Duke is in “good health”.
The insider added that the announcement was unexpected: “Who knew the Duke was going to scale back last year?”
The source stressed that the Duke’s decision was not for medical reasons: “There’s nothing wrong with his health. He’s in good health.
They claimed the real reason for his retirement was ”because he wants to spend more time at Windsor and Sandringham.”
